The crushing nature of the win for Nizhny in the first leg means that this game feels already done. Yes, the Zenit fans will be right behind their fans and no doubt there will be an early sense of urgency from the hosts on Wednesday night but in all likelihood, the damage has already been done and this game is over with Nizhny looking forward to making a mark on the play-offs.

The 102-76 score line in the first was a deserved margin of victory in a game where the hosts dominated from start to finish. They offered up 25 assists compared to the 13 assists provided by Zenit and Nizhny also offered up just 8 turnovers while Zenit provided 16 turnovers. The fact that Nizhny offered up 12 steals, which is their all-time high steals score for a Eurocup, indicates the level of control and command that they had in the opening game.

Nizhny were in dominant mood last week

Victor Rudd was in full control of the game, providing 28 points in the big win. Ivan Strebkov was also in fine form, offering up 21 points in the win. These two players both grabbed career high scoring efforts for the Euroleague, and while they will not be under the same pressure to match their achievements this week, they may find that with the pressure being off, they can play with some freedom. For Zenit, Janis Timma was in good form, with 17 rebounds and he’ll need to offer this, and a whole lot more if we are to witness a shock in St Petersburg.

Some big turnarounds have taken place in the place. Caprabo Lleida once came back from a 26 point deficit against Makedonikos, but these results have been few and far between.

This sort of game can be difficult to predict so take Nizhny Novgorod at +6.5, at odds of 1.90 for this game. If you are looking to get involved with the Over/Under market, look to go OVER 168.5 which is on offer at odds of 1.90. Bet Now!